So, dear (fraction of) readers… you still got your lumbering beast of an Xbox under the telly, have no intention of buying another overpriced console, have already enjoyed the best Xbox game there is and are looking for something new, aren’t you? Well, look no further, for what I might have to suggest may not be particularly new, but still is an amazingly enjoyable -if flawed- game based on a classic movie: The Thing. A sequel of sorts to Mr. Carpenter’s frozen horror thriller in video game form, that picks up the story roughly from where the movie had left it.

As you would expect, the game takes places in a mostly abandoned scientific base and its snowy environs, where the alien entity widely known as the Thing, well, does it’s thing. You, assuming you choose to play this game, get to fight the Thing and its impressive variety of sibling in all its/their manifestations, uncover an X-Files inspired conspiracy and manage your squad of civilians and soldiers, while making sure (preferably by testing them) none of your supposed comrades is infected by the Thing’s thinginess that would transform him or her into a deadly monstrosity. Making sure they trust you would be a nice idea.

Where The Thing truly shines though is in the atmosphere, which has to be experienced to be believed and even makes sure you wont be frustrated by the millions of fuse boxes you’ll have to mend and the badly placed save-points. Oh, and it’s a third person fighter in case you were wondering. One with good graphics and controls too.

Posted on June 7th, 2008 by konstantinos